I ended up giving Blake the bed because the couch was too small for him.Not that it was big enough for me, but my brother was easily a foot taller than me.
After he fell asleep, I texted Jude.
Me: Miss you tonight.I can’t wait for you to get back.Have a safe trip and don’t freeze your toes off.
Jude:Miss you too.We’ll be safe.
That was that.
ChapterForty-Two
Jude
“It is fucking cold,” Lincoln said flatly.
“It’s the middle of the winter,” I pointed out as we glided along on our skis.
“How far until we reach that hunting cabin?”
“A few more miles.We’re not far.”
We glanced back at the group of college kids stretched along the trail behind us.This group wasn’t quite as high-achieving as the one that had come with us for training, but they kept us in top form.“You don’t even sound winded,” I pointed out.
Lincoln flashed a grin.“Dude.Hotshot firefighting is no joke.You know that.That’s all I’ve been doing for the last five years.Carrying gear.Hiking in horrible conditions.Gliding along on some skis is easy-peasy.”
“I do hotshot trips,” I felt pressed to point out.
“Yeah, you do it for two or three weeks at a time.I’ve been doing those trips for six to eight months out of the year.Or, I did.”
“You really home to stay?”I couldn’t help but ask.
His gaze slid to mine.“I really am.I know Mom’s worried I’m gonna change my mind.I’m not.”
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but he beat me to it.“And, yeah, I still hate what happened with Bree.I’m always gonna feel like I screwed up.Somehow, I had enough time away that coming back is better than running from it.”
“Fair.If you ever want to talk about it, you know I’m here.”
“That’s all I want to say about it.”
The tone in his voice was the equivalent of a door closing—firmly and quietly—right in my face.
“Understood.I won’t ask you about it again.”
He paused on the trail, and I stopped beside him.“I don’t mind people asking, but Mom is asking about it a lot.My bandwidth to deal with the questions is, I guess, filled by her,” he explained.
“She means well,” I offered, my tone cautious.
“I know she does.We’ll muddle through it.”He paused, tipping his head back to glance at the sky.“We better keep moving.”
“Hey,you’rethe one who stopped,” I pointed out with an eye roll as we began skiing again.
“I know.But we can’t let these guys show us up.It’ll make me feel old.”
With that, he leaned forward and picked up his pace.I followed suit.
That night, after we got comfortable in one of the two trail cabins we’d booked for this trip, I leaned against the wall where I sat near the wood stove.
“Can’t beat a warm place when we’ve been out in the cold all day,” I commented.The feeling of rest after this kind of day was potent.
